Foreign Tribes in the Xiongnu Confederation Zagd Batsaikhan Mongolian National University, Ulaanbaatar Although the surviving written more than 20 Xoingnu burials, sources contain too little some with europoid craniums, information about ancient nomads were found at Naimaa Tolgoi, of Inner Asia, archaeological Erdenemandal sum, Arkhangai findings of the last decade enable aimag. Also the 16 graves so far us to reconstruct a great deal excavated from among the 370 at about them and their history. We Tamiryn Ulaan Khoshuu (the Tamir are both enriching our knowledge 1 site) have yielded 5 unbroken and testing previous assumptions. europoid craniums, and two of the This new material is essential for ten Xiongnu graves excavated Photo © Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, Mongolian National University establishing different influences on some ten km from that site Fig. 2. Bronze cauldron with an the ethnic composition and contained europoid craniums. iron base, excavated in Feature cultural level of the ancient Inner 97, Tamir 1 site. Asian nomads. Scholars have The design of devoted much attention to these burials and the establishing the relationships grave contents are between ancient nomads in the quite similar to those west of Eurasia and those of the of Xiongnu burials in east. Yet the inadequacy of source other parts of materials has prevented this Mongolia and Trans- problem from being solved baikalia. The three convincingly. Of particular value walled enclosures has been the new paleo- found at the Tamir 2 anthropological information from site 10 km west of recent excavations. For example, Tamiryn Ulaan Khoshuu have a design similar to Photo © Daniel C. Waugh 2005 Xiongnu walls Fig. 3. Antler and iron decorations, probably for a in other lo- harness, excavated in Feature 97, Tamir 1 site. cations (see drawings in the article by of pieces of pottery. Most of the David Purcell above). While graves had been plundered. Yet the date of Tamir 2 has not important and interesting objects yet been determined, it remained, such as a bronze bell, may be connected with the bronze cauldrons (Fig. 2), and cemetary at Tamiryn Ulaan decorations made from bone (Fig. Khoshuu. 3). All these features are probably to be connected with the culture Despite similarities, the and agriculture of the foreign tribes Tamir 1 graves have some which were members of the features which distinguish Xiongnu confederacy. These tribes them from other Xiongnu paid tribute to the Xiongnu and graves, viz.: the greater were responsible for agriculture. depth (three to four meters) (Fig. 1), wooden The Chinese written sources bulkheads, the orientation indicate that the northern Xiongnu Photo © David E. Purcell 2005 of the bodies, infrequent conquered tribes such as the Fig. 1. Feature 109, Tamir 1 site, in the finds of cattle bones and Hunyu, Qushe, Dingling, Gekun, process of excavation. weaponry, and the number and Xinli. By the time the Shanyu 45 extended conflict, 4th-2nd centuries BCE, 2nd-1st migrations from centuries BCE, 1st-3rd centuries CE, east to west were 3rd-5th centuries CE. Also they have undoubtedly demonstrated that the Wusun’s accelerated and anthropological characteristics occurred more have not changed throughout the than once. four periods and thus might be assumed to have been established The sources as early as the 3rd century BCE. indicate that the The anthropological features Wusun was a indicate that the Wusun had mixed nomadic tribe Photo © Department of Anthropology and Mongolian National Archaeology, University mongoloid-europoid faces, just like which always people from the Tian-Shan, where Fig. 4. A broken grinding stone from Feature 109, sought in its this type of face was probably Tamir 1 site. migrations grass- established after the 3rd century lands and water for BCE. However, the materials from Modun wrote to the the Han its cattle. Since the Wusun lifestyle the Tienshan have more mongoloid emperor in 176 BCE he could claim was identical with that of the characteristics than do the findings that besides the Donghu there Xiongnu, it is no surprise that they from Semirech’e. If we then were as many as 30 small and could adapt easily to the climate compare the cranium found at large tribes which had submitted of Mongolia. Some sources suggest Naimaa Tolgoi in Mongolia, with to the Xiongnu. Among them have that the Wusun settled there some other materials from Inner Asia, it to have been tribes speaking both time before 138 BCE. turns out to have the same Mongolian and Turkic languages. anthropological characteristics as Among the most important tribes Statistical analysis of cattle Wusun craniums. This mixed type with which the Xiongnu had bones tells us that they were in is not only found in Naimaa Tolgoi extensive relations was the Wusun. fact semi-nomadic. Burials at Aktas but also in Central and Eastern The written sources from the which are related to the Wusun parts of Mongolia. second century BCE indicate that period contain, among many other they first lived in the area of what items, a stone mattock, a bronze is today western Gansu province scythe and 11 complete and 15 Written sources indicate that and then were forced to move broken grinding stones (Fig. 4). another europoid tribe which was further west under their leader, the These items form the main a component of the Xiongnu was Kunmo. Their political and trade evidence that the Wusun were the Huzi (in some sources written center was Chigu, an important involved in agriculture. Excavation Zihu). Chinese historian Ma center on the Silk Road. When in near this site has uncovered an Changshou, has suggested that the 2 105 BCE the Wusun ruler received agricultural area (60-150 m ) with name Huzi is a combination of a Han princess as a bride, the a simple irrigation system. Xiongnu and Zi, and the name Zihu Shanyu responded by sending his Most of the Wusun burials are is the same as Zi. While the daughter to the Kunmo, a move round and located alongside a sources do not tell us enough about that would have important political river. The dead are usually placed this people’s anthropological consequences for the Xiongnu. in the grave without a coffin, laid characteristics, they provide some out straight and facing west. interesting suggestions deserving In 73 BCE the Wusun made Decorations, pottery, and of attention. For example, Zhang some changes within their weaponry were placed on the left, Ming indicates that they have a territories, separating them into right and above the head. high nose and long beard. Chinese three parts: central, eastern, and Researchers have determined that historian Yao Weiyuan uses Han western. As the Han began to there are three types of Wusun dynasty sources to prove that in strengthen their control of the burials in the Semirech’e basin their culture and outward Western Regions, in the period 64- (westernmost Xinjiang; eastern- appearance the Huzi were part of 51 BCE resistance developed most Kazakhstan—Ed.). The most the Yuezhi, who in turn at one time among some of the peoples in numerous of these types is the were part of the Xiongnu. G. Inner Asia. The power of the third, where the grave diameter is Sukhbaatar has asserted that they Wusun grew, but then civil strife approximately 5-10 m, and the were a europoid people from developed between two major contents include 1-2 pots, iron Central Asia. Thus, even though factions. This war provided an knives, bronze earrings, and the sources do not reveal anything opportunity for the Han Dynasty various decorations. about the life style and boundaries to use the Wusun against the of the Huzi, it seems that that Xiongnu and take control of the Researchers have divided the there were two europoid tribes Silk Road. During this period of Wusun remains into four periods: among the Xiongnu. 46 We cannot say for sure that burials from Tamiryn Ulaan Investigation of a Xiongnu Khoshuu, Emeel Tolgoi, Naimaa Tolgoi are precisely from the Royal Tomb Complex in the Wusun period; so this association so far is a guess. Further, we need Tsaraam Valley to take into account the fact that Indoeuropean tribes were already Sergei S. Miniaev migrating from the West to L. M. Sakharovskaia western parts of Mongolia as early Institute for the History of Material Culture, as the Neolithic, Eneolithic, and Bronze Ages, and once there they Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg mixed in among the native people. By the time of the Xiongnu they The Xiongnu, otherwise known as information about social structure, were settled in the center of the the Asiatic Huns, created a material culture, and the art of a empire, which meant that not only powerful alliance of cattle-breeding particular society, are neither well- their culture but also their tribes in the late third to early known nor systematically inves- anthropological characteristics second century BCE and then tigated using archaeological began to change and disappear. dominated the eastern part of techniques. Yet there is still sufficient evidence Central Asia for four centuries. in the sources to identify some of Systematic studies of Xiongnu In 1996 the Trans-Baikal the burials at the given sites as archaeological sites have been Archaeological Expedition of the being those of the Wusun. carried out for more than a Institute of History of Material century. At present, materials of Culture, Russian Academy of Finally we can say that the considerable value in the Sciences, St. Petersburg, initiated Xiongnu people who emerged from characterization of settlement a survey of the Tsaraam valley, the Wusun later participated in the complexes and cemeteries of situated 1.5 km to the south of process of the establishment of the various types have been obtained.